"Bo-hahahaha!"

What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word “Bleach”? Laundry, huh? You know what I think of? Orange-haired teenagers with really big swords talking to ghosts and fighting a bunch of other characters with swords. Yeah, we're apparently not talking about the same Bleach. I'm talking about the anime Bleach. Never fear, newcomers; Bleach recently got licensed here in North America so it's about time for the typical avalanche of merchandising from Japan. Fortunately, one of the first video games from the world of Bleach is a fighting game for the Nintendo DS. Is this first round in the Soul Society worth your money?

To those still confused as to why an anime is named after a laundry chemical, Bleach is a shounen anime. This means that there's a ton of fighting. High school student Ichigo earns the power of a Soul Reaper, an angel of death, from Soul Reaper Rukia and gets a big sword and plenty of room to talk. When Rukia is taken from the human world as a prisoner, Ichigo and his friends travel to the Soul Society, the spirit world to free Rukia from her coming execution. Bleach is filled to the brim with stylish battles and obscure characters, something that fans already know, but anyone new to the series will find the battles to be respectably compelling. Don't expect an overhaul of new concepts; Bleach doesn't pride itself on originality. It is interesting though, and it's not too serious with itself, so it's enjoyable even to newcomers to the series.

The controls in Bleach: The Blade of Fate are actually pretty easy to figure out. You can move, crouch, and jump with the D-Pad, along with double-taps for double-jumps, dashes, and aerial steps. The A, X, and Y buttons are used for different ranged attacks (close, medium, or long range combos) and can be mixed up with jumping. Characters can guard with R. The B button is an interesting inclusion; pressing B lets the player perform a Flash Step, a quick dash that can close the gap between enemies or be used to dodge a strong attack. L can be used to dodge into the background in specific battlegrounds. These attacks do use up a part of the Flash Step gauge, which refills over time, so the game cleverly balances these defense tactics well. Special attacks can be performed in two ways: one by traditional button combinations for fighting game veterans, or for easier access, the attacks can be easily located with a tap of the touch screen. This does cost some Spiritual Pressure, the power used to perform these special attacks. Using the touch screen does keep a lot of the confusing elements of fighting games at bay, but it can also make the game a bit too easy in places. Combos can be strung together easily in battle, so the touch screen isn't without its doubts. For the most however, this does keep the game at a strong pace, and it does make it much more accessible for the average player.

A unique battle factor is the Spirit Cards. Battles begin with each character's deck, a selection of cards with specific techniques and abilities. These can range from something simple like a boost in Attack or lowering an opponent's Mobility, to offering a health boost or even switching an opponent's Spiritual Pressure with your own. These skills can be bought in the Urahara shop with the currency earned in battles. In battle, simply touch the icons on the touch screen to use these abilities. These do possess their moments of brilliance. Different decks and skills are better in different situations, but the concept never seems to move away from gimmicky. It's an okay gimmick, but it isn't extremely game-changing and you'll mostly be fighting with your character's skills instead of your cards. It is worthy of merit to include some depth in the battles, but compared to games like Jump! Ultimate Stars, the system feels too simple to really get off the ground.

When it comes to options, Bleach: The Blade of Fate is pretty serious. There are a slew of characters to unlock in the story mode, each with their own specific fighting styles. If Ichigo's giant sword isn't your choice, try the archery styles of Uryu. Each character has their own special attacks and advantages, and the game's single-player lets you try them all out in different episodes. The Story Mode isn't the most interesting aspect of the game, though; it's saturated with tiresome text sequences and it manages to break up the battles a little too well. It's required to trudge through the lackluster story mode to unlock a majority of the characters in some of the other modes, so it must be taken with a grain of salt. Outside of the Story Mode, there's the Training mode for some quick practice, the Challenge Mode (which is mostly just completing simple objectives), and Versus Mode for battling against the computer. You can also unlock art, sounds, and new Spirit Cards in the Urahara Shop, so any fans will get their completion fix throughout the game.

But if the single-player is too by-the-book for you, Bleach: The Blade of Fate has a slew of multiplayer modes. The game offers the traditional versus battles of multi-card play, but anyone without the game can use Download Play to pick up a quick match against a friend who has the game. Even better is the implementation of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which includes friend battles, along with an online ranking system. The game has a nasty tendency to lag in places (some battles can be downright sluggish, depending on the connection) but when it works, it's plenty fun. The excellent cast of characters and deep combo system offer plenty of experimentation when battling an opponent and the game manages to be pretty balanced throughout.

Bleach has been critically acclaimed as an anime series thanks to its style. There's always some type of stylish impression that each episode manages to pull off. Fortunately, Blade of Fate does a good job at emulating the series' stylish presentation. The game offers a nice plethora of character animations and the special attacks are definitely cool to watch. Although some manage to look rather identical, the majority of the attacks, especially the incredible Bankai animations, show enough over-the-top moments to be interesting. The graphics don't push the Nintendo DS to its absolute limits, but the game is still good-looking to say the least. But it's the awesome sound that really seals the deal for this game; it flat-out rocks. From the start you get the downright phenomenal metal opening “Ichiriin No Hana” by J-rock band High and Mighty Color, along with the traditional Bleach music that fans always hear in the anime. Music ranges from the intense metal sounds like the opening, mixed with some solid guitar riffs, to the more relaxed and surreal tones in peace-time. There's also a nice amount of voice work from the English cast. Johnny Bosch performs Ichigo's role well, and the most of the voice work isn't that bad. You'll hear it a lot, but the acting is far from bad.

Pros
+ Nice roster of characters
+ Great presentation
+ Good amount of modes
+ Stylish techniques make battles look and play great

Cons
- Guarding feels overpowered
- Quick access super techniques make some battles too easy
- Story mode is boring with too much text
- Spirit Cards feel gimmicky

There's not a lot of fighting games for handhelds, let alone the Nintendo DS, but Bleach: The Blade of Fate is an interesting and well-rounded fighting game that also manages to take advantage of its source material. There's a tremendous amount of characters and skills, along with some enjoyable battle modes. The inclusion of a solid multiplayer and online mode is another serious reason to consider Bleach: The Blade of Fate. If you're a fan of the Bleach anime or manga, Bleach: The Blade of Fate will satisfy your appetite for over-the-top battles and crazy attacks. Anyone else may be turned off by the slightly askew mechanics and forgettable story mode, but the goodness still shines through. Bleach: The Blade of Fate is a solid and enjoyable handheld fighting game with some unique twists and plenty of content. Bleach fans should definitely pick it up and anyone who isn't too scared of its hefty reliance on its source material will find it to be a fun fighting game on the go. It's worth a rental at least, and has enough replay value and style to be worth a purchase.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/22/07

Game Release: Bleach: The Blade of Fate (US, 10/09/07)